Soul Reapers
by James R. O'Neill
Summary: A crossover between my favorite shows and games, taking place in the bleach universe. Full description inside.
1. I'm Late! Race to Soul Reaper Academy!

**Hi Everyone! This is my first story EVER!! Lame right? Doesn't matter.**

**Anyway, This is a crossover of a lot of things Bleach, Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, You Name it!**

**So since I'm totally high on Bleach right now, this takes place in the Bleach Universe, shortly before, during and after The Rukia Rescue Ark.**

**Right now, I'm only going to work with Naruto and Bleach Characters but I intend to bring in more series later, so don't worry! This Chapter is sort of an introduction so it's going to be pretty tame.**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. I'm not going to be lame and gay and use the complicated Japanese terms most people use like: shingaime, no jutsu, datibyo, and shit like that, so if that's what you're looking for click, the big button at the top of your browser with the big left facing arrow, and go be gay somewhere else. I'm also not going to type their names backwards either; Example: (Haruno Sakura Ulchiha Sauske, or Uzumaki Naruto). Nope, I'm using the better American spellings. **

**Got it Memorized?**

Chapter 1

A Late Start! Race to Soul Reaper Academy!

Sakura sprinted pel mel towards the Academy. How could she have slept late on THIS day, of all days. Her Academy uniform hung loosely around her, she hadn't taken time to dress properly.

She could just see all the other seniors receiving their Zampakuto, and putting on the black robes of full on Soul Reapers. Could see them defeating giant Hollows, and saving helpless human souls, whom it was the Soul Reaper's job to help pass on.

"Ha Ha Sakura, guess you don't have what it takes after all! You couldn't even make it to graduation on time!" said Naruto as he leaped high in the air, killing three Hollows with a single slice.

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura mentally shouted, "You're not even graduating!"

Tightening her loose hanging uniform so that she wouldn't trip over the long hanging skirt, Sakura made a stupendous leap over a wall, nearly losing her training sword in the process.

She landed lightly upon the slanting roof of the wall and took her bearings. "Not far now." she thought gratefully. As she looked in the direction of the Academy grounds a tsunami of relief washed over her hope deprived body. Near the Academy entrance, a large group of people was gathered. Graduation hadn't started yet!

With a joyful cry, Sakura ran with renewed vigor toward her future. She could see herself now, killing Hollows, winning Sauske, becoming a Captain in the 13-Court Guard Squads. While Naruto, sat in the mud, begging for scraps in the Rukon District. Sakura laughed.


	2. Graduation! The Mysterious Zampakuto!

Chapter 2

Graduation! The Mysterious Zampakuto! Part 1

Sakura sat silently in one of the long rows of graduating students in the Academy's Auditorium.

Her training sword lay neatly beside her, the faded green sheath of her faithful training companion of many years seeming unimportant in expectation of the zampakuto she would soon receive.

The tension and excitement in the room was peaking. A general murmur could be heard throughout as all the expectant students began feeling nervous.

_And no wonder_, Sakura thought to herself, _After what the place looked like this morning_.

It was true, there had been an eery feeling in the room earlier. When Sakura had arrived expecting to be late, she had found everyone crowded outside the Academy. And not just the graduating students, all of them. Sakura had been more than a little bit confused and just a little frightened. All she had been able to learn from her fellow classmates, was that there had been a sort of disturbance the night before that had caused some damage to the building, and the school was being repaired. _Must of been pretty bad if they've got to repair it now_, Sakura had thought grumpily.

It was nearly an hour before the doors opened and the students bustled inside. The graduates proceeding to the assembly hall and the students hurrying to their first classes of the day. The damaged areas were easy to spot. Newly refinished floorboards and repaired walls were abundant in every direction. Sakura was immensely curious, as were many of the students, as to what could have caused this must damage in one night.

The Auditorium was the by far the worst. Sakura would have been hard pressed to find a place that didn't shine. Everything gleamed with a radiance, one could only associate with being new. She only been here a few times, but it was definitely much changed.

She searched the room for Sauske, spotting him at the back of the room, sitting calmly and cooly. Her heart swelled. He was so cool! You never knew what he was thinking or feeling!

He always kept his composure no matter the circumstance! He was most talented person she had ever seen! He excelled in every subject, he was easily top of the class! "Oh, Sauske! she moaned softly.

"Back off Billboard Brow!" Sakura's view of Sauske was obscured suddenly as Ino Yamanaka stepped between them, "Sauske is mine!" Sakura stood furious.

"Get over it Ino-Pig! I'm getting Sauske!" Sakura retorted heatedly bringing herself eye to eye with Ino.

"Why would Sauske want you?" Ino snorted. "Sauske's going to be a great Soul Reaper someday, and he needs a Soul Reaper who's going to be just a great. Which is me!"

Sakura half reached for her sword before clenching them into a fist. "Well I'm going to be twice the Soul Reaper you are! And Sauske would never have anything to do with a pig!"

Ino's face tightend with anger. They continued arguing for several minutes. They became so loud half the room had stopped their whispered conversations, to stare at the two girls "Well, Sakura if you want to have a childish argument, have it with someone else. I'm leaving." Ino turned and began to stalk away. "Just know that I'm still not going to lose Sauske to you," Ino growled over her shoulder.

A loud rapping sound brought Sakura out of the cold angry funk Ino's appearance had left behind. Behind the desk at the front of the room, stood a fearsome looking man, his long black hair tied up in a pony tail. She recognized him as the teacher who had given the time and place of the graduation assembly.

"Line up, you lot!" the man shouted stamping his foot. Instantly, the room fell silent as the students dashed to their places. The teacher glanced from side-to-side in what Sakura construed as a contemptuous inspection. "All right then, are all the graduating students present?"

There was a joint "Yes, sir!" from the group. "Good . Then let's get started." He motioned to a line of black clad figures in the corner. "You will hand your training swords to them as they come around." There were only three rows of students and three people collecting swords, so it didn't take very long for Sakura's turn to come. The small girl handling the front row took Sakura's sword without a word as she went down the line. Half-heartedly, Sakura bid a silent farewell to the old sword as it disappeared from view.

Being at the end of the back row, Sauske's was the last to be taken. As was characteristic, he silently handed the sword to the collector, without even taking his eyes off the instructor's face.

When all the training swords were accounted for, the unpleasant instructor turned back to the hall at large and shouted, "All right then, then we may proceed with th-." There was a loud bang as the hall doors burst open and there being wrestled to the ground by two armed guards was...

_Naruto_?! Sakura realized in shock. The blonde spikey haired boy tried to raise his head, but the guards had him hopelessly pinned.

"Hey!" came his muffled voice from against the floor

_Naruto, your so embarrassing_! Sakura chastised him in her mind._ You're not even supposed to be here! You're not graduating!_

"C'mon guys lemme up!" cried Naruto in muffled tones.

"You're not on my list," growled a guard with a goatee.

"It's okay, he's with me." cooed a voice behind him. Everyone turned to face the newcomer. The speaker was a pale looking women in a shihakusho. She wore a kind but stern expression and there was something friendly in her dark eyes. Though her hair was gray she had the appearance of a woman in her mid 20's (by human standards) and now that Sakura looked more closely, there was something tied to her left arm.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu!" the guards exclaimed. They jumped to attention as she walked past them and helped Naruto to his feet.

_She's a lieutenant!? _Sakura couldn't believe her ears. First, she'd overslept, next she turns up at the Academy without being late, only to have them keep her waiting for an hour to repair major damage done to the school, and now, Naruto showing up at graduation with a lieutenant in the 13 Court Guard Squads! Could this day get any stranger?

"Thanks, Isane! Naruto said as he stood up, adjusted the headband on his forehead, and dusted off his... shihakusho!?

That was certainly what it looked like. But how would Naruto have gotten a shihakusho, those were only given to fully fledged Soul Reapers! And Naruto couldn't possibly be one!

"Naruto, I told you this would happen if you tried to go in alone!"Isane chastised Naruto. "You won't make it very far in the Squads if you can't learn to pick your fights!"

"Lieutenant Kotetsu!" the unpleasant instructor rasped in a shaken tone of voice, "What are you doing here? I thought you were injured!

Isane turned her attention from a sulky looking Naruto to the instructor. "I'm feeling much better now, Idate. My injuries weren't that severe. As to why I'm here, Naruto insisted on coming here and graduating properly. I knew they wouldn't let him in alone, so I came along as an escort."

"But ma'am!" the instructor said incredulously. "Escorting a child to a graduation ceremony hardly seems appropriate to a person of your stature!"

"It was no trouble." Isane replied in a dismissive tone. I was leaving to go back to the Squad Four barracks anyway. I need to make my report to Captain Unohana."

_What the hell is going on here? _Sakura thought confused more than ever. Tentatively, she snuck a look back at Sauske. His expression hadn't changed since before the ceremony. It was still the same emotionless mask as always. _How can he just sit there? _Sakura thought to herself.

_Naruto shows up like this and it doesn't even phase him. _In truth, Sakura couldn't see him as well as she had thought. In fact nobody who wasn't standing next to him could've seen through his personal shield of seclusion. But Sauske was indeed tenser than usual.

During this intermission of thought, Sakura hadn't noticed six cloaked figures filing through the open auditorium double doors. They strode quietly along the rows of students, and up to the auditorium stage where Lieutenant Isane and the instructor Idate were still engaged in conversation. Upon their arrival, the sounds of talking cut short as one of the cloaked figures stopped and whispered something in the instructor's ear.

"Right, I won't be a minute." he responded more loudly. He turned back to Isane. "Thank you for your time, Lieutenant. I'm afraid we must get started."

"I understand." she nodded politely, turned and began to stroll away.

"Hey!" Naruto chimed in incredulously, "What about me?!" The instructor glanced distastefully down at him.

"Alright then, if you must stay, go stand in the back next to Uchiha. That's where'd you be anyway." Naruto stared horrified back at the instructor.

"Next to Sauske?!" Naruto shouted. "Why him? Why can't I stand next to Sakura or Kiba or anybody but Sauske?!"

"You're the one who wanted to graduate the same as everyone else!" the instructor shouted back. "I don't have time to argue with a spoiled brat who doesn't like who he's standing next to. So, go stand next to Uchiha or get the hell out of here!"

A beaten Naruto sulked down to the back row and took his place next to Sauske. As he passed her row Sakura just made-out the words "Damn bastard."

_Stupid. _Sakura thought grouchily. _I'd kill to stand next to Sauske._

"As I was saying before all this started," began the instructor (who after this sentence will be called Idate) "it is now time to begin the main part of your graduation." He paused for effect and then dramatically announced, "The creation of your zampakuto!"

Sakura tensed as she comprehended Idate's words. _This is it, Sakura_. _The moment you've been waiting for. _

Idate made sure his words had had the desired effect then continued. "Now as you all know, the creation of your zampakuto is the most important part of becoming a Soul Reaper. The only weapon capable of wounding a Hollow or Soul Reaper is a zampakuto and will be your permanent fighting weapon. The zampakuto has been used by Soul Reapers for centuries and is considered the most effective fighting tool in the history of the Soul..."

_C'mon, _Sakura thought impatiently as Idate launched into his monolog on zampakuto lore. _We don't need a history lesson just get on with it._

After ten minutes, Idate finally finished his anecdote with a long winded sigh. "Now, unlike early Soul Reapers, the process of spontaneously drawing out a representation of one's soul, willingly or otherwise, is rarely used or even heard of. Today, we use a special tool to create our zampakuto." With a flourish Idate produced from beneath his coat what looked like a sword.

"This is something like the training zampakuto you've used up till now. It is capable of killing a Hollow but does not contain any spirit energy or is in any way a representation of your soul. It is called an asauchi. They are given to Soul Reapers who are incapable of creating a true zampakuto."

Idate motioned to the black clad figures from earlier, and they began handing each student a sword like Idate's. "Today, you will be using them to create your zampakuto. To do this, simply fill the sword with your spirit energy, visualizing it taking the form of a sword. Concentration is key. If all goes well, the asauchi will be vaporized by the intense spiritual pressure and your true zampakuto will emerge. But," Idate paused once again. "It is crucial that for the duration and in the few seconds after your sword is created, that you do not lose your concentration. Doing so could result in massive ripples in spirit energy, causing the zampakuto to destabilize, which will result in the destruction of your zampakuto and your immanent death."

A sudden outbreak of nervous muttering broke out immediately. The expectant graduates had heard this of course but thought it to be a myth. The only ones unfazed by this news seemed to be Sauske and Naruto.

"Quiet!" Idate shouted and there was ripple of strong spiritual pressure throughout the room. Everything suddenly became deadly quiet.

_Who would've guessed that guy had such strong spiritual pressure_. Thought Sakura in amazement. But as she watched, Idate looked around the room in bewilderment at the students.

Sakura quickly realized that the spirit pressure she'd just sensed hadn't been him, and that he was just as mystified as the rest of them.


End file.
